 by Fiona Davenport.jpg)
Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 26323 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 132(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 88(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26323 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 132(@200wpm)___ 105(@250wpm)___ 88(@300wpm)
When the new couple insisted he use her apartment, the hunky wide receiver wasn’t thrilled about living with a stranger. But after he met his new roommate, Clay had no qualms about using their proximity to his advantage. Whatever it took to make Marleigh his.
FULL BOOK START HERE:
1
Clay
My phone vibrated on the end table beside me, and I reached over blindly to grab it, keeping my eyes glued to the game playing on the giant television. I was watching the New York Nighthawks game tapes from last season. Fall was fast approaching, and I’d only been traded to the team a couple of months ago.
When the owner of the Nighthawks, Lennox Madison, offered me a ten-year deal, I jumped on it. He had a reputation for being one of the best owners in the sport. And knowing I’d be here for at least the next decade meant I could put down roots. Thirty-eight was ancient in football, so it was more than likely I would retire a Nighthawk. Being from Upstate New York, I loved the idea of hanging up my jersey here.
Plus, it gave me the opportunity to play with Jordan Stallard, an offensive lineman for the team. We were roommates, best friends, and teammates through all four years of college. So I was fucking ecstatic to make this change. It felt like coming home.
Shortly before I moved to New York, I bought a house on Long Island that was a quick train ride from the city—not far from the home of our quarterback, Prentice Wright. However, it was older and needed some serious renovations. When I mentioned to Jordan that I was looking for a temporary place to live, he told me to stay with him. He had a big place and was single, so it made sense. Especially since it wasn’t as though we hadn’t lived together before.
When I arrived, it was a little like going back in time. After dropping my shit in the guest bedroom, Jordan grabbed us a couple of beers. Then we dropped onto the couch, turning on the sports channel to whatever game was playing. Our conversation quickly turned into some reminiscing that had us laughing our asses off. We’d been troublemakers back then, not enough to get us kicked off the team, but punks nonetheless.
I was looking forward to having my own place again, but it was great to reconnect with my best friend, especially right before we stepped on the field as part of the same team for the first time in six years.
Jordan had given me the inside scoop into my new teammates, but in order to be as prepared as possible, I was studying every player on the Nighthawks, learning their style, their tells, and how they responded to each other and situations on the field. Being new to the team, I would still have to prove my worth to the guys on that field. My reputation as a ball player didn’t matter to them. This was a different team dynamic, and I had to be adaptable. Knowing my teammates was as vital as knowing about my opponents.
My phone vibrated again in my hand, reminding me that I hadn’t read the text. I paused the game and tapped the screen of my cell to wake it up. The message was from Jordan.
Jordan: Bringing Wrenley home in an hour. Sorry, man, but you gotta clear out.
I rolled my eyes when I saw that he’d silenced his notifications, meaning the asshole wouldn’t see a response. Chicken. It was after midnight. He couldn’t have given me until morning? Or warned me that he was planning to bring her home tonight after the gala.
It was tempting to ignore him and pretend I never got the message. Seeing Jordan nearly blow a gasket was always amusing. However, I decided to play the nice guy. The only reason I turned off the television and stood was because I knew Wrenley was special to him. She’d been all he could talk about for the past month.
We both wanted families someday, but with the dating scene being what it was these days—one fucking disaster after another—neither of us was sure it would ever happen. One too many gold diggers had crossed my personal boundaries, so I hadn’t actually gone out with a woman in years. As far as I knew, neither had Jordan—until Wrenley. I threw all my focus into my career, and until now, so had my best friend.
So I’d clear out, sure. Especially since Jordan finding the woman of his dreams gave me hope. But that didn’t mean I wouldn’t be giving him major shit about it later.